Black Clover Episode 17 Review: Destroyer

We’re finally at the peak of this dungeon arc, but Black Clover still has a lot to show off! I personally loved the way this episode was written; I couldn’t be any prouder of Yuno, and most especially, Asta! They both showed levels of awesomeness that would blow away anyone who tried to stop them from reaching their goals and protecting the people they cared about!

Japanese Original Episode Title: 破壊者

Plot

With the defeat of Lotus at the hands of the oddball Black Bulls trio, they moved on back to their original goal: getting to the treasure room fast! However, once they get there, they find that the Golden Dawn trio still hadn’t gotten rid of the hindrance standing in their way, and it actually seemed like they were gonna lose! Did Asta, Noelle, and Luck get there just in time to save their necks?

Episode Highlights

Runaway villain: I was worried that Lotus would end up killing himself like what Heath did before, and that it’d make Asta upset again. But goodness, wasn’t the old man wise and humble? He immediately realized that he can no longer fight, admitting defeat at the hands of a bunch of brats. Who cares about looking like a coward as long as they get to live another day, right? Even if he became a hindrance for the trio, I hope he makes an appearance again in the future, maybe as an ally that time, cause the guy’s funny! He also became a good stepping stone for Luck to have character development. Who’d have thought that the mage who stopped at nothing till he won the fight would just let his prey go like that? Luck finally realized that there are far more important things than his bloodthirst! Yay for friendship and teamwork!

Yuno vs. Mars: Guess not even a huge amount of skill can compare to sheer power, more so when it’s from an artificially-enhanced super soldier! The Diamond Kingdom’s totally not joking around when it comes to its search for power, going so far as doing something so inhumane, like pitting kids against each other to get the ultimate mage! No wonder Mars always has that hard look on his face, as if he already saw hell. Nothing else could surprise him. Even Yuno’s constant attacks didn’t have any effect on him, whether emotionally or physically! But, aahh my feels! I can’t believe Yuno looked up to Asta THAT much! He remembered that Asta never gave up even when the odds were against him, so Yuno kept attacking, too, and never gave up! Someone who doesn’t even have a shred of mana became the bearer of the four-leaf grimoire’s role model! I’m just…give me a moment to love these two.

Reinforcements: While I’m totally happy that Yuno wanted to follow baby Asta’s lead at never giving up, why did he not dodge that attack? Just because he said he won’t move? Dude should’ve taken it from Lotus and just got out of the way, maybe even quickly countering afterward! Ah well. At least it made Asta’s entrance look cool, and got him a chance to nag Yuno for getting beat up! (I’m just laughing that Mars didn’t quickly attack, but just let them talk for a bit.) I’m also loving the idea that the top squad got saved by the runts of the litter! Noelle showing off her newfound skill and better control of her magic, Luck quickly destroying a bunch of those diamond clones, I couldn’t help but be so proud! Take that, Klaus!

Asta vs. Mars: Hot dang, Asta’s ripped! Why does he look so lanky with his clothes on, when all those muscles and abs have actually been hiding underneath them? Anyway, that became a proof of just how determined he’s been! All this time, everybody’s been looking down on him for not having any magic, or even the fact that all he can do is negate it! But while everyone was so focused on getting stronger magically, he made up for his lack of it by training physically! So when it came to a battle of prowess, he was the only one who could stand a chance and actually beat such a powerful enemy! His determination finally paid off, and his ‘useless’ powers won the battle! It was just so amazing to see him wipe the floor with Mars and teach him a lesson about protecting people! Even when it seemed like he got hit badly, his ‘never say die’ attitude still got him through it! What a guy! Finally, a lot of people acknowledged that he’s strong, and it’s not because he’s lucky or anything. It’s all because he worked hard! That line he said, that he’s a pebble that shatters diamonds, it was so cool!!

Themes & Trivia

Kodoku: The way the Diamond Kingdom groomed their best mage warrior reminded me of a type of magic in Japanese folklore. They’d take several insects in a jar and let them kill each other, until only one of them survived. Then they’d use the survivor to create a poison-curse.

Weapons of war: Unfortunately, children put to fight not only happens in fiction but even in real life. I can’t believe that our world is so far down that these kinds of horrors are happening for real.

Comments

I had a blast with this episode because it literally was a blast! From start to finish, it never lost its grip on my attention, whether it be the funny bit with Lotus or the action-packed fight between Asta and Mars! I guess my least favorite part was Yuno’s battle. I don’t know, I felt like it was bland somehow. That’s just me, though! In any case, I loved that Asta was able to demonstrate just how useful and unique he is by being able to defeat an enemy only he could go up against! The same thing usually happens in a lot of series, but I personally thought this didn’t seem forced at all!

I also want to compliment certain scenes where the animation was so fluid and dynamic! I wish the whole show would consistently have that kind of quality. They managed to do it during the first few episodes, so hey, I’m sure they can do it again!

The pebble that can shatter diamonds!

The obstacles are finally gone, so the Clover Kingdom’s Magic Knights can now go forth to the treasure room! Let’s hope all of the treasure chests have actual gold in them this time, and not organs like in the Petit Clover skit.

Till we find out next week, let’s know what you thought of this episode! Do read our other Winter 2018 reviews as well!

NEXT TIME: Memories of You (追憶の君)